Hundreds of young Nigerians trafficked under guise of football trapped in Morocco, Tunisia — NAPTIP

<p>The Director General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) Dr Fatima Waziri-Azi has raised the alarm that hundreds of young Nigerian boys and girls are currently trapped in some North African countries, especially Morocco and Tunisia.</p>, <p>She disclosed that most of the affected young Nigerians were trafficked under the guise of sporting opportunities abroad, explaining that on arrival at the destination countries, majority of them have been subjected to dehumanised experiences of prostitution, exploitative labour and organ harvest.</p>, <p>Waziri-Azi made the revelation on Saturday in Abuja during the aerobics exercises and sports organised by the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation as part of activities marking the 2023 Civil Service Week.</p>, <p>The event was held at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja, where the Federal Government called on workers to ensure that they undertake regular exercises to keep them healthy and improve productivity.</p>, <p>The week-long activities coincided on Saturday with Anti-human Trafficking Day and as such the occasion was also used to kick out the evils of human trafficking in Nigeria.</p>, <p>NAPTIP DG, Waziri-Azi, said the agency was concerned with the high number of young Nigerians who are usually deceived by criminals about non-existing sporting opportunities abroad.</p>, <p>She advised parents and individuals to always seek confirmation from NAPTIP on whether the sporting agent approaching them for a football opportunity abroad has been issued clearance from NAPTIP, insisting that only NAPTIP has the mandate to issue such clearance to intended travellers abroad.</p>, <p>She said: “Just this year, alone we have received a lot of complaints of Nigerians trapped in North Africa, especially in countries like Morocco and Tunisia who are unable to come back home.</p>, <p>“NAPTIP has a regulation called “Trafficking in Person Control of Activities and Centres Regulation 2019, If any sporting agent approache